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Is Broker Bryant Full of Hot Air?

Hi folks. Earlier this week, Aloysius Donohue wrote an interesting featured post titled, "Active Rain's Top Bloggers Ranked by Actual Real Estate Sales Productions.........And Creepy Larry" . OK, first I just have to say.......that is one crappy title!!! Sorry Aloysius...just my opinion. Anyway, the topic of his post is:

"I follow the advice of AR bloggers all the time but I often wonder who I am taking the advice from. I always think to myself "this person is very interesting but I wonder if they do any business".

Al started a great discussion and has close to 100 comments already. If you haven't read his post yet please do. I'm posting the comment I left on his post here because I know there are a lot of folks that read my posts. Some of you may have even learned a thing or two. I hope so. In the interest of being completely transparent here is my response to Al.

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Aloysius, Valid discussion. I know for a fact that there are some very well known bloggers that don't do a lot business. Not necessarily on AR but in the outside blogosphere. BUT....that doesn't necessarily make them a bad REALTOR(R). In fact they could be very good at what they do. It's just generating a lot of business isn't something they do.

Now on AR I would say most of the top bloggers are better than average at what they do. There are a lot of the same attributes needed to be successful in business as there are to being "successful" on AR. For example: Likability, consistency and knowledge.

I for one have always been very honest about the amount of business I do. I am a small time broker in a small time market. I work from my home and have for 10 years. I also work by myself. I have been in the business for 14 years and have only had 2 months where I didn't get paid. Both were this year. I sell single family residential homes in one of the worse markets in the country where values have declined 60% in the last 18 months and it is getting worse. Poinciana Florida Market Reports

This year I have closed 19 transaction sides after a very bad start and have another 5 pending. I hope to hit 30 for the year which is a very bad year for me. I average about 40 sides a year with my best ever being 62. 62 transactions in my market was right at 10mil in business!!!! I'm a blue collar broker.

BUT.....I am excellent at what I do. I do the amount of business I want to do and turn down more than I take.

I joined AR to hopefully help others in their business. I never tell folks what to do or how to do it. Instead I tell them what works for me in my market with the intent to get them thinking about how they can apply what I do to their business.

So there you have it. I'm not sure why folks have a problem with being transparent.

How did I do? Hot air or sound advice?

***The graphic is the sole property of ROAR!!Productions. Take it and TLW will shoot you!!

Posted by Bryant Tutas Broker/REALTOR(R) Tutas Towne Realty, Inc on 10/10/2008 05:05 PM

Comments (37)

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37 Comments on Is Broker Bryant Full of Hot Air?

OCT

2008

Reserved Parking For "The Lovely Wife"...TLW...ROAR!

Blog Boy...

Geesh...And I thought I was the hot air behind your "Big Head" :)

TLW...ROAR!

Ha...I got the farkleberry :)

BB,

Sound advice...though I think Bertha may have some hot air.

Hot air...not sure? Maybe not BB but possibly Bertha! I am sure there are some on here that are faking it till they make it though.

BB, if you do any more business than what you already do, you won't have time to fish and pamper TLW. I think you have a healthy balance working for you.

Hi TLW!

Hi Princess. Send me an email about your problem with the button :)

I must begin my comment with I HATE THE BLOG BUTTON CHANGE - CHANGE IT BACK DAMNIT!!!

(I know Bob reads you, so I had to do it...)

We have this little discussion all the time. Do the best bloggers really do much business? I'd say on the whole, most do. It's been a rough year, but as you point out, likability, consistency and knowledge work in every aspect of our lives.

Ultimately, perception is reality. So if your readers think your busy, they are more likely to use you or refer to you - hence in time, you will be busy.

Is a good post... is good to be transparent. I would think to a certain extent the well informed bloggers would also need to be strong producers in order to share that experience, wisdom and knowledge.

Bryant, maybe you should come work up here! 62 transactions would be about $25M+ in volume. You and TLW could stay on our blow-up mattress while you're getting acquainted with the area.

BB - 62 transactions just from working at home with no overhead? Well, I'd say you know how to run a good business and make money. I'd say you have pretty good business sense! I knew there was a good reason to subscribe to your blogs - and yes, I have gotten some useful tips, advice and really great opinions because I did subscribe. I also have found other bloggers here who I suspect are not as active as you are but have great knowledge and wonderful ideas to share. I do not necessarily subscribe to bloggers who are top performers, initially I might not even know how to spot a top performer, but I subscribe ro those who I find intelligent and I have to like their style. As you said, it's all about "Likability, consistency and knowledge." ...and a little humor or inspiration usually helps to get my attention too!

Mr Block...

I can't believe that you would even suggest that a lovely lady sleep on an air mattress. My goodness what has the world come to :)

TLW...ROAR!

Dear BB and TLW, I love ya'lls blogs, I learn stuff and I get to be entertained at the same time. I think ya'lls blogs were some of the first I read here in ARLand, being a late starter in Real Estate I needed all the help I could get from honest seasoned veterans. I know I found it here. (geez, I hope that doesn't sound too suckup).

LMFAO @ Lovely Wife :))

Broker Bryant, No wonder we have not seen Blogging Bertha lately. You are so busy (between selling RE, blogging, and being a great husband that you are) that you have no time to let our beloved Bertha out.

Jen...I cracked myself up with that one to :)

Gail...I think the correct presentation of that is, It's suckupish :)

Blog Boy...Chill. I haven't hijacked you in ages. Aside from that who you gonna tell that would tell me to knock it off :)

TLW...ROAR!

You're the bomb BB ... that's both BB's mind you.

Great response and as always we all learn from each other in some way or another.

How ya doin TLW?? Hugs!

BB, with the blog button gone I had to do a search to get to your blog. I must have been in withdrawal or something. Anyway my ears perked up when I read that you have been working out of your home. One of my goals as a broker...soon.

I think we all just have to be honest... honest about EVERYTHING. Realize that if it doesn't kill us, it WILL make us stronger. The ones the truly survive this market and econmic melt down, if you will, will be the ones that make it out ON TOP when the ride is over!

BB, I suspect that most of the AR members I follow to better than average but that is not why I follow them. In general, they are good mentors. I believe that I have to hear/read something multiple times from multiple points of view to get a feel if I can use it in my business plan. Take care. AJ

OCT

2008

Great response & a great post. Keep doin' what you are doin' BB.

Very interesting, both Aliouruwurytr2ysdc.xz,m cc's blog and your analysis........also your breakdown......its interesting to see how people are doing, and also how transparent they can be :-)

Bryant,

Thanks for the post. Let's get serious, I want to be the first to sign up for your mentoring program. Working strictly from home with 62 transactions, that's the way to go!

I'm very transparent about my production. It's almost nonexistent and I plan to keep it that way.

It only takes about 12 hours of hard work a day to keep my production as low as it is.

BB,

I think that you gave some very sound advice. I will say tho I have not read AL's post and will have to do so.

Broker Bryant,

Thanks for linking to my post and thanks for your excellent response. I wish I would have known you were going to do this. I would have written a much more coherent response to your comment. In case you didn't see it, I have pasted it below. I will put much more thought into my responses to you going forward in case you decide to link back to me again. By the way, you might be the ugliest woman I have ever seen, so how did you land "The Lovely Wife" (and she is lovely). You must be more attractive when you dress as a man.

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"I sell single family residential homes in one of the worse markets in the country where values have declined 60% in the last 18 months and it is getting worse."

Broker Bryant - Given this, I would say just by virtue of the fact that you are still in business means you are someone whose advice I would line up to take.

As Billy Joel says, "Sometimes just surviving is a noble cause". However, you are doing a heluva lot more than just surviving. You are kicking butt.

This sort of hits the crux of my post/question. Now that I know this about you, I can feel like I am actually improving my career when I read your blog. I always knew you were interesting but I would still feel guilty reading blogs instead of "working" because it felt like goofing off especially if I thought the person I was reading might be someone who had no idea what they were talking about. Not that you have to prove anything to me, but it just helps to know you have put your own advice to the test and you were successful with it. I am rambling a bit, I know.

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BB- It sounds like you are a success. You do business the way you want with people you like. Remember only do business with people who make you smile. That is success the rest is just filler.

good reply broker bryant, Al seems straight up in what he does too, i am sure his inquiry was pure in intent

chris the implementer

I agree that we all learn something from each other one way or the other. You said it all. "Likability, consistency and knowledge" are the tools to have. They do not come in one arena without being present in others.

OCT

2008

Bryant,

I've reaped a lot of good stuff reading your posts and I knew you were a top blogger who did top business. Thanks for sharing.

Your loyal fan, Fran

Never underestimate the little guy...Blue Collar Broker's rule!

Good morning one and all. What ups? No statistical sharing? OK it really is no ones business unless they are getting ready to hire you. I just did it because I dish out a lot of advice.

Aloysius, A little link love is a good thing. I can't believe you don't find Blogging Bertha attractive!!!!

OK....as always I appreciate all the great comments and you guys stopping by. I hope everyone has an awesome Sunday.

Broker Bryant - You go! For us here in Montana! It started out good, but later grew worst. Especially in my area. The seller are pulling their listing off the market. The buyer are not buying until they see a change in the finacial crisis. Yes, we are having a awesome Sunday in the snow.

Broker Bryant, that's a whole bunch of transactions! It's really fun to read about the huge variety of business models here on Active Rain.

OCT

2008

BB, I appreciate your transparency. I think it would be EYE-OPENING for everyone to blog their statistics too. But I don't see that happening. You rock.

BB, it actually never occurred to me to think about the volume that you do- the blogs (and their circumstances) spoke for themselves. You were busy in the worst market (arguably) in the country, and continue to inform those of us in judicial (read: foreclosures take a few years) states. The heads up has, and continues to be, amazing insight. You closed a nice number of houses while the train that's headed this way roared (sorry, TLW) through.

OCT

2008

Bryant- You do a great job in Poinciana Florida. Just by virtue that you are even still in business there is an amazing accomplishment. I have never believed that the number of sides an agent does has much to do with if they are a good agent or not.

In our town, there are agents who do not use cell phones, do not return calls, married rich, do not use email, do not market online, do not blog and do not work after 5 p.m. Yet, they sell in a bad year, 3 or 4 homes at 6 million or more per side. They only need one sale to say they had a good year.

So sides is relative. So is what you do to make the money.

I would not assume that someone is not a good agent or is a good agent based on that.

I will never forget the lesson learned: My x and I owned Tae Kwon Do schools for many years. I was a great teacher and coach but not a cordinated expert in the physical sense of the art. I could not kick as high as my students, but I could turn them into national champions. My X hated that about me, and would constantly put me down for my clutzinness. One day the Grandmaster came to visit our school and overheard my x telling me that my side kick looked like a dog pissing over a fire hydrant. Grandmaster Lee told me that I had built a profitable business with great sales skills that my X did not possess and that I had the personality of a First Lady who showed care and compassion towards our students thereby achieving one of the highest retention rates in the country.

I learned that day that there is such a thing as someone being able to teach yet not be able to always do what they teach. Katerina

Hey guys. Thank you for your support. It's hard selling in Poinciana right now. I've thought about moving into another market BUT I've been here for so long I can't bring myself around to abandoning my "peeps" now that times are diffcult.

Great comment Katerina. Thanks for sharing that story with us. Sounds like X was extremely jealous. That's a very bad place to be.

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